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84-737: Samuel Pierpont Langley , the third Secretary of the Smithsonian , founded the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory on the south yard of the Smithsonian Castle (on the U.S. National Mall ) on March 1, 1890 . The Astrophysical Observatory's initial, primary purpose was to " record the amount and character of the Sun's heat ". Charles Greeley Abbot was named SAO's first director, and the observatory operated solar telescopes to take daily measurements of

168-584: A botanical garden, and a museum that was designed to have a national and permanent status. The former occupied space where the present Botanic Garden sits. The museum contained specimens of zoology, botany, archeology, fossils, etc., some of which were passed on to the Smithsonian Institution after its formation. The institute's charter expired in 1838, but its spirit lived on in the National Institution , founded in 1840. With

252-509: A catapult launch from a boat on the Potomac River. The distance was ten times longer than any previous experiment with a heavier-than-air flying machine, demonstrating that stability and sufficient lift could be achieved in such craft. On November 11 that year his Number 6 model flew more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m). In 1898, based on the success of his models, Langley received a War Department grant of $ 50,000 and $ 20,000 from

336-406: A contract or grant. (Additional postdocs do research via Harvard fellowship programs or national/international fellowship awards); about 40% of the postdoctoral community are women and about 12% are from minority populations. SAO scientists can supervise Harvard Ph.D students, and in addition they typically supervise about 30 graduate students from other institutions who are pursuing Ph.D. theses at

420-602: A decades-long feud with the surviving Wright brother, Orville, who objected to the Institution's claim of primacy for the Aerodrome. Unlike the Wright brothers with their invention of three-axis control , Langley had no effective way of controlling an airplane too big to be maneuvered by the weight of the pilot's body. So if the Aerodrome had flown stably, as the models did, Manly would have been in considerable danger when

504-591: A paid, one-month internship. Pilar O'Leary launched the program when she served as executive director of the Smithsonian Latino Center. According to the Latino Center, O'Leary told the press in 2007: "Our goal is to help our Young Ambassadors become the next generation of leaders in the arts and culture fields. This program encourages students to be proud of their roots and learn more about their cultural heritage to inspire them to educate

588-806: A post he kept until 1891 even while he became the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1887. Langley was the founder of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory . In 1875, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society . In 1888 Langley was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society . In 1898, he received the Prix Jules Janssen , the highest award of

672-604: A rapid expansion of its research program. Following the launch of Sputnik (the world's first human-made satellite) in 1957, SAO accepted a national challenge to create a worldwide satellite-tracking network, collaborating with the United States Air Force on Project Space Track . With the creation of NASA the following year and throughout the space race , SAO led major efforts in the development of orbiting observatories and large ground-based telescopes , laboratory and theoretical astrophysics , as well as

756-506: A strong headwind and land on solid ground, Langley sought safety by practicing in calm air over the Potomac River . This required a catapult for launching. The craft had no landing gear , the plan being to descend into the water after demonstrating flight which if successful would entail a partial, if not total, rebuilding of the machine. Langley gave up the project after two crashes on take-off on October 7 and December 8, 1903. In

840-631: A unit of solar radiation, and an award have been named in Langley's honor, including: In 1963, Langley was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. In the 1978 film The Winds of Kitty Hawk , he was portrayed by actor John Hoyt . # denotes an acting secretary Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( / s m ɪ θ ˈ s oʊ n i ə n / smith- SOH -nee-ən ), or simply

924-511: A working piloted heavier-than-air aircraft . His models flew, but his two attempts at piloted flight were not successful. Langley began experimenting with rubber-band powered models and gliders in 1887. (According to one book, he was not able to reproduce Alphonse Pénaud 's time aloft with rubber power but persisted anyway.) He built a rotating arm that functioned like a wind tunnel , and made larger flying models powered by miniature steam engines . Langley realised that sustained powered flight

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1008-527: A year and includes as ex officio members the chief justice of the United States and the vice president of the United States . The nominal head of the institution is the chancellor , an office which has traditionally been held by the chief justice. In September 2007, the board created the position of chair of the Board of Regents, a position currently held by Risa Lavizzo-Mourey . Other members of

1092-409: Is interested, might be interested or ought to be interested". Another Secretary of the Smithsonian, Walter Boyne, founded Air & Space . The organization publishes under the imprints Smithsonian Institution Press, Smithsonian Books, and Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. The Smithsonian makes a number of awards to acknowledge and support meritorious work. The Smithsonian Institution

1176-814: The Harvard College Observatory . He then moved to a job at the United States Naval Academy , ostensibly as a professor of mathematics. However, he was actually sent there to restore the Academy's small observatory. In 1867, he became the director of the Allegheny Observatory and a professor of astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh (then known as the Western University of Pennsylvania ),

1260-544: The Marquis de Lafayette . Operating expenses were covered from the $ 5 yearly dues collected from each member. The institute proposed a number of undertakings. These included the study of plant life and the creation of a botanical garden on the Capitol Mall , an examination of the country's mineral production, improvement in the management and care of livestock, and the writing of a topographical and statistical history of

1344-777: The National Museum of African Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery opened in a new, joint, underground museum between the Freer Gallery and the Smithsonian Castle. Reuse of another old building came in 1993 with the opening of the National Postal Museum in the 1904 former City Post Office building, a few city blocks from the Mall. In 2004, the Smithsonian opened the National Museum of

1428-661: The National Museum of African Art , as well as the National Gallery of Art , were formally returned to Nigerian cultural officials in a ceremony held in Washington D.C. The Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed , and Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, representing the Oba of Benin Kingdom, spoke at the ceremony. Mohammed said the "decision to return the timeless artworks is worth emulating." In February 2020,

1512-681: The Pittsburgh area in the late 1860s, Langley was a major player in the development of astronomically derived and regulated time distribution services in America through the later half of the 19th century. His work with the railroads in this area is often cited as central to the establishment of the Standard Time Zones system. His very successful and profitable time sales to the Pennsylvania Railroad stood out among

1596-498: The Renwick Gallery . A smaller amount of funds would go to educational initiatives and digitization of collections. As of September 2017, the Smithsonian claimed to have raised $ 1.79 billion, with three months left in the formal campaign calendar. Separately from the major capital campaign, the Smithsonian has begun fundraising through Kickstarter . An example is a campaign to fund the preservation and maintenance of

1680-505: The Smithsonian , is a group of museums , education and research centers , the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government . The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson . It

1764-541: The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum . In 2011, the Smithsonian undertook its first-ever capital fundraising campaign. The $ 1.5 billion effort raised $ 1 billion at the three-year mark. Smithsonian officials made the campaign public in October 2014 in an effort to raise the remaining $ 500 million. More than 60,000 individuals and organizations donated money to the campaign by

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1848-708: The Société astronomique de France , the French astronomical society. Langley arrived in Pittsburgh in 1867 to become the first director of the Allegheny Observatory, after the institution had fallen into hard times and been given to the Western University of Pennsylvania. By then, the department was in disarray – equipment was broken, there was no library and the building needed repairs. Through

1932-632: The South Pacific Ocean . These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those collected by several military and civilian surveys of the American West , including the Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys , which assembled many Native American artifacts and natural history specimens. In 1846, the regents developed a plan for weather observation; in 1847, money

2016-526: The Sun 's intensity in different regions of the optical electromagnetic spectrum . In doing so, the observatory enabled Abbot to make critical refinements to the Solar constant , as well as to serendipitously discover Solar variability . It is likely that SAO's early history as a solar observatory was part of the inspiration behind the Smithsonian's "sunburst" logo , designed in 1965 by Crimilda Pontes . In 1955,

2100-543: The application of computers to astrophysical problems. SAO has operated a number of remote stations over the years. The current director of the SAO is Lisa Kewley (2022 to present). There are currently about 170 research staff working at the SAO, including affiliated research staff. In addition, the SAO has about 120 postdoctoral researchers/fellows working in five competitive, associated fellowship programs: CfA, Clay, SMA, ITAMP, and Leon Van Speybroeck , or in support of

2184-458: The deaccession and restitution of items collected under circumstances considered unethical by contemporary standards and thus places moral over legal arguments. A month before, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art had announced the planned return of most of its 39 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria , as well as of other cultural items to Turkey . On October 11, 2022, Benin Bronzes from

2268-542: The privilege of the floor at the United States Senate . On September 18, 2013, Secretary G. Wayne Clough announced he would retire in October 2014. The Smithsonian Board of Regents said it asked regent John McCarter, Jr., to lead a search committee. On March 10, 2014, the Smithsonian Board selected David Skorton , a physician and president of Cornell University , as the thirteenth secretary of

2352-1074: The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland for her role as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz . Nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoological Park , comprise the Smithsonian museums. Eleven are on the National Mall , the park that runs between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol . Other museums are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., with two more in New York City and one in Chantilly, Virginia . The Smithsonian has close ties with 168 other museums in 39 states, Panama , and Puerto Rico . These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated museums. Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in

2436-408: The Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh together with Frank Washington Very along with the data he collected from his invention, the bolometer, was used by Svante Arrhenius to make the first calculations on the greenhouse effect . In 1898, Langley received the Prix Jules Janssen , the highest award of the Société astronomique de France (the French astronomical society). Langley attempted to make

2520-611: The American Indian in a new building near the United States Capitol . Twelve years later almost to the day, in 2016, the latest museum opened: the National Museum of African American History and Culture , in a new building near the Washington Monument . Two more museums have been established and are being planned for eventual construction on the mall: the National Museum of the American Latino and

2604-567: The Board of Regents are three members of the U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House ; three members of the Senate, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate ; and nine citizen members, nominated by the board and approved by the Congress in a joint resolution signed by the president of the United States. Regents who are senators or representatives serve for

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2688-572: The Earth. He published an 1881 paper on it, "The Bolometer and Radiant Energy". He made one of the first attempts to measure the surface temperature of the Moon, and his measurement of interference of the infrared radiation by carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere was used by Svante Arrhenius in 1896 to make the first calculation of how climate would change from a future doubling of carbon dioxide levels. Starting with his tenure at Allegheny Observatory in

2772-602: The GDP at the time it may be more comparable to $ 220 million in the year 2007. Once the money was in hand, eight years of congressional haggling ensued over how to interpret Smithson's rather vague mandate "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The money was invested by the US Treasury in bonds issued by the state of Arkansas, which soon defaulted. After heated debate, Massachusetts representative (and former president) John Quincy Adams persuaded Congress to restore

2856-510: The National Museum of African-American Heritage and Culture. The opening of the center was prompted, in part, by the publishing of a report called "Willful Neglect: The Smithsonian and U.S. Latinos". According to documents obtained by The Washington Post , when former Latino Center executive director Pilar O'Leary first took the job, the center faced employees who had "serious performance issues". No performance plans existed for

2940-477: The SAO. About thirty undergraduate students intern at the SAO each year. All together there are about 950 staff (including administrative and management department employees) working at the Center. 42°22′53″N 71°07′42″W  /  42.38146°N 71.12837°W  / 42.38146; -71.12837 Samuel Pierpont Langley Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 – February 27, 1906)

3024-489: The Smithsonian Libraries and Smithsonian Archives merged into one research center in 2020. The Smithsonian Institution includes three cultural centers among its units: In 1997, the Smithsonian Latino Center was created as a way to recognize Latinos across the Smithsonian Institution. The primary purpose of the center is to place Latino contributions to the arts, history, science, and national culture across

3108-646: The Smithsonian and funds to build the museum to hold it (which was named the Freer Gallery ), it was among the Smithsonian's first major donations from a private individual. The gallery opened in 1923. More than 40 years would pass before the next museum, the Museum of History and Technology (renamed the National Museum of American History in 1980), opened in 1964. It was designed by the world-renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White . The Anacostia Community Museum , an "experimental store-front" museum created at

3192-501: The Smithsonian made 2.8 million digital items available to the public under a Creative Commons Zero Public Domain Dedication, with a commitment to release further items in the future. The Smithsonian has eight research centers, located in Washington, D.C.; Front Royal, Virginia ; Edgewater, Maryland ; Suitland, Maryland ; Fort Pierce, Florida ; Cambridge, Massachusetts ; and Panama . Formerly two separate entities,

3276-523: The Smithsonian to develop a piloted airplane, which he called an " Aerodrome " (coined from Greek words roughly translated as "air runner"). Langley hired Charles M. Manly (1876–1927) as engineer and test pilot . When Langley received word from his friend Octave Chanute of the Wright brothers ' success with their 1902 glider, he attempted to meet the Wrights, but they politely evaded his request. While

3360-683: The Smithsonian's Department of Living Animals. The park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted . The National Museum of Natural History opened in June 1911 to similarly accommodate the Smithsonian's United States National Museum, which had previously been housed in the Castle and then the Arts and Industries Building. This structure was designed by the D.C. architectural firm of Hornblower & Marshall . When Detroit philanthropist Charles Lang Freer donated his private collection to

3444-411: The Smithsonian's museums and research centers. The center is a division of the Smithsonian Institution. As of May 2016, the center is run by an executive director, Eduardo Díaz. At the time of its creation, the Smithsonian Institution had other entities dedicated to other minority groups: National Museum of the American Indian, Freer-Sackler Gallery for Asian Arts and Culture, African Art Museum, and

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3528-484: The Smithsonian, slightly increased from previous years. Institution exhibits are free of charge, though in 2010 the Deficit Commission recommended admission fees. As approved by Congress on August 10, 1846, the legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization. This seventeen-member board meets at least four times

3612-532: The Smithsonian. Though the Smithsonian's first secretary, Joseph Henry , wanted the institution to be a center for scientific research, it also became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections. The United States Exploring Expedition by the U.S. Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842. The voyage amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 plant specimens, and diverse shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater, and ethnographic artifacts from

3696-595: The United States. Reports were to be published periodically to share this knowledge with the greater public, but due to a lack of funds, this initially did not occur. The institute first met in Blodget's Hotel, later in the Treasury Department and City Hall, before being assigned a permanent home in 1824 in the Capitol building. Beginning in 1825, weekly sittings were arranged during sessions of Congress for

3780-615: The construction of the Arts and Industries Building in 1881. Congress had promised to build a new structure for the museum if the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition generated enough income. It did, and the building was designed by architects Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze, based on original plans developed by Major General Montgomery C. Meigs of the United States Army Corps of Engineers . It opened in 1881. The National Zoological Park opened in 1889 to accommodate

3864-401: The duration of their elected terms, while citizen Regents serve a maximum of two six-year terms. Regents are compensated on a part-time basis. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Smithsonian is the secretary, who is appointed by the Board of Regents. The secretary also serves as secretary to the Board of Regents but is not a voting member of that body. The secretary of the Smithsonian has

3948-473: The faster it flew", the counter-intuitive effect of induced drag . He met the writer Rudyard Kipling around this time, who described one of Langley's experiments in his autobiography: Through Roosevelt I met Professor Langley of the Smithsonian, an old man who had designed a model aeroplane driven—for petrol had not yet arrived—by a miniature flash-boiler engine, a marvel of delicate craftsmanship. It flew on trial over two hundred yards, and drowned itself in

4032-404: The first attempt, Langley said the wing clipped part of the catapult, leading to a plunge into the river "like a handful of mortar," according to one reporter. On the second attempt the craft broke up as it left the catapult (Hallion, 2003; Nalty, 2003). Manly was recovered unhurt from the river both times. Newspapers made great sport of the failures, and some members of Congress strongly criticized

4116-610: The first the world had seen. His remarkably detailed 1873 illustration of a sun spot, observed while using the observatory's 13-inch Fitz-Clark refractor became a classic. It is featured on page 21 of his book, The New Astronomy , and was also widely reprinted in the Americas and Europe. In 1886, Langley received the inaugural Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for his contributions to solar physics. His publication in 1890 of infrared observations at

4200-944: The form of long-term loans. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions, operated through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). In 2008, 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country. Smithsonian collections include 156 million artworks, artifacts, and specimens. The National Museum of Natural History houses 145 million of these specimens and artifacts, which are mostly animals preserved in formaldehyde. The Collections Search Center has 9.9 million digital records available online. The Smithsonian Institution Libraries hold 2 million library volumes. Smithsonian Archives hold 156,830 cubic feet (4,441 m ) of archival material. The Smithsonian Institution has many categories of displays that can be visited at

4284-637: The friendship and aid of William Thaw Sr. , a Pittsburgh industrial leader, Langley was able to improve the observatory equipment and build additional apparatuses. One of the new instruments was a small transit telescope used to observe the position of the stars as they cross the celestial meridian. He raised money for the department in large part by distributing standard time to cities and railroads. Up until then, correct time had only occasionally been sent from American observatories for public use. Clocks were manually wound in those days and time tended to be imprecise. Exact time had not been especially necessary. It

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4368-444: The full-scale Aerodrome was being designed and built, the internal combustion engine was contracted out to manufacturer Stephen M. Balzer (1864–1940). When he failed to produce an engine of the specified power and weight, Manly finished the design. This engine had far more power than did the engine for the Wright brothers' first airplane—50 hp compared to 12 hp. The engine, mostly the technical work of men other than Langley,

4452-403: The history of the world capable of sustained free flight". Fred Howard, extensively documenting the controversy, wrote: "It was a lie pure and simple, but it bore the imprimatur of the venerable Smithsonian and over the years would find its way into magazines, history books, and encyclopedias, much to the annoyance of those familiar with the facts." (Howard, 1987). The Smithsonian's action triggered

4536-503: The initiative of Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley , opened in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in 1967. That same year, the Smithsonian signed an agreement to take over the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration (now the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum ). The National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum opened in the Old Patent Office Building (built in 1867) on October 7, 1968. The reuse of an older building continued with

4620-494: The institution's 30 million annual visitors are admitted without charge, the exception being Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, which charges an admissions fee. The Smithsonian's annual budget is around $ 1.25 billion, with two-thirds coming from annual federal appropriations. Other funding comes from the institution's endowment , private and corporate contributions, membership dues, and earned retail, concession, and licensing revenue. As of 2021,

4704-425: The institution's endowment had a total value of about $ 5.4 billion. In many ways, the origin of the Smithsonian Institution can be traced to a group of Washington citizens who, being "impressed with the importance of forming an association for promoting useful knowledge," met on June 28, 1816, to establish the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences . Officers were elected in October 1816, and

4788-478: The legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836. The American diplomat Richard Rush was dispatched to England by President Andrew Jackson to collect the bequest. Rush returned in August 1838 with 105 sacks containing 104,960 gold sovereigns . This is approximately $ 500,000 at the time, which is equivalent to $ 14,000,000 in 2023 or equivalent to £12,000,000 in 2023. However, when considering

4872-407: The loss of funds after the June 1905 discovery that Smithsonian accountant William Karr was embezzling from the Institution. Langley refused his salary in the aftermath. In November he suffered a stroke. In February 1906 he moved to Aiken, South Carolina to recuperate, but had another stroke and died on February 27. He was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. Air and sea craft, facilities,

4956-400: The lost funds with interest and, despite designs on the money for other purposes, convinced his colleagues to preserve it for an institution of science and learning. Finally, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed the legislation that established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust instrumentality of the United States, to be administered by a Board of Regents and a secretary of

5040-428: The machine descended, uncontrolled, for a landing—especially if it had wandered away from the river and over solid ground. In 1880 Langley invented the bolometer , an instrument initially used for measuring far infrared radiation. The bolometer has enabled scientists to detect a change of temperature of less than 1/100,000 of a degree Celsius. It laid the foundation for the measurements of the amount of solar energy on

5124-432: The many non-government-based observatories of the day who were largely subsidizing their research by time-service sales to regional railroads and the cities they served. The United States Naval Observatory 's increasing dominance in this field threatened these regional observatories' livelihoods and Langley became a leader in efforts to preserve the viability of their commercial programs. Langley held himself responsible for

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5208-452: The mission to "promote science and the useful arts, and to establish a national museum of natural history," this organization continued to press Congress to establish a museum that would be structured in terms that were very similar to those finally incorporated into the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. Its work helped to develop an underlying philosophy that pushed for the pursuit and development of scientific knowledge that would benefit

5292-433: The museums. In 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft donated her inauguration gown to the museum to begin the First Ladies' Gown display at the National Museum of American History , one of the Smithsonian's most popular exhibits. The museum displays treasures such as the Star-Spangled Banner , the stove pipe hat that was worn by President Abraham Lincoln , the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz , and

5376-473: The nation, and edify its citizens at the same time. The British scientist James Smithson (1765–1829) left most of his wealth to his nephew Henry James Hungerford. When Hungerford died childless in 1835, the estate passed "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men", in accordance with Smithson's will. Congress officially accepted

5460-408: The new telescope, Langley devised a precise time standard, including time zones, that became known as the Allegheny Time System . Initially he distributed time signals to Allegheny city businesses and the Pennsylvania Railroad . Eventually, twice a day, the Allegheny time signals gave the correct time via 4,713 miles of telegraph lines to all railroads in the US and Canada. Langley used the money from

5544-489: The opening of the Renwick Gallery in 1972 in the 1874 Renwick-designed art gallery originally built by local philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran to house the Corcoran Gallery of Art . The first new museum building to open since the National Museum of History and Technology was the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden , which opened in 1974. The National Air and Space Museum , the Smithsonian's largest in terms of floor space, opened in June 1976. Eleven years later,

5628-583: The organization was granted a charter by Congress on April 20, 1818 (this charter expired in 1838). Benjamin Latrobe , who was architect for the US Capitol after the War of 1812, and William Thornton , the architect who designed the Octagon House and Tudor Place , would serve as officers. Other prominent members, who numbered from 30 to 70 during the institute's existence, included John Quincy Adams , Andrew Jackson , Henry Clay , Judge William Cranch , and James Hoban . Honorary members included James Madison , James Monroe , John Adams , Thomas Jefferson , and

5712-443: The original Teddy Bear that was named after President Theodore Roosevelt . In 2016, the Smithsonian's Air & Space museum curators restored the large model Enterprise from the original Star Trek TV series. Following international debates about the decolonisation of museums and the legal and moral justifications of their acquisitions, the Smithsonian adopted a new "ethical returns policy" on April 29, 2022. This will permit

5796-424: The project. On 28 May 1914, the Aerodrome was modified and flown a few hundred feet by Glenn Curtiss , as part of his attempt to fight the Wright brothers' patent, and as an effort by the Smithsonian to rescue Langley's aeronautical reputation. Nevertheless, courts upheld the patent. However, the Curtiss flights emboldened the Smithsonian to display the Aerodrome in its museum as "the first man-carrying aeroplane in

5880-422: The public in their own communities about how Latinos are enriching America's cultural fabric." The institution publishes Smithsonian magazine monthly and Air & Space magazine bimonthly. Smithsonian was the result of Secretary of the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley asking the retired editor of Life magazine Edward K. Thompson to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian Institution

5964-447: The railroads to finance the observatory. From about 1868 revenues from Allegheny Time continued to fund the observatory, until the US Naval Observatory provided the signals via taxpayer funding in 1883. Once funding was secure, Langley devoted his time at the Observatory initially in researching the sun. He used his draftsman skills—from his first job out of high school—to produce hundreds of drawings of solar phenomena, many of which were

6048-419: The reading of scientific and literary productions, but this was continued for only a short time, as the number attending declined rapidly. Eighty-five communications by 26 people were made to Congress during the entire life of the society, with more than a half relating to astronomy or mathematics. Among all the activities planned by the institute, only a few were actually implemented. Two were the establishment of

6132-564: The scientific headquarters of SAO moved from Washington, D.C. to Cambridge, Massachusetts to affiliate with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO). Fred Lawrence Whipple , then the chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Department, was named the new director of SAO. The collaborative relationship between SAO and HCO therefore predates the official creation of the CfA by 18 years. SAO's move to Harvard's campus also resulted in

6216-640: The staff and unfulfilled financial obligations to sponsors existed. The website's quality was poor, and the center did not have a public affairs manager, a programs director, adequate human resources support, or cohesive mission statement. After difficult times in the first few years, the center improved. According to the Smithsonian, the center "support[s] scholarly research, exhibitions, public and educational programs, web-based content and virtual platforms, and collections and archives. [It] also manage[s] leadership and professional development programs for Latino youth, emerging scholars and museum professionals." Today,

6300-473: The time it went public. This included 192 gifts of at least $ 1 million. Members of the boards of directors of various Smithsonian museums donated $ 372 million. The Smithsonian said that funds raised would go toward completion of the National Museum of African American History and Culture building, and renovations of the National Air and Space Museum , National Museum of American History , and

6384-526: The waters of the Potomac, which was cause of great mirth and humour to the Press of his country. Langley took it coolly enough and said to me that, though he would never live till then, I should see the aeroplane established. His first success came on May 6, 1896 when his Number 5 unpiloted model weighing 25 pounds (11 kg) made two flights – 2,300 ft (700 m) and 3,300 ft (1,000 m) – after

6468-546: The website features a high-tech virtual museum including self-guided virtual tours of past and present exhibits. The Smithsonian Latino Center's Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) is a program within the Latino Center that reaches out to Latino high school students with the goal of encouraging them to become leaders in arts, sciences, and the humanities. Students selected for the program travel to Washington, D.C. for an "enrichment seminar" that lasts approximately five days. Afterwards, students return to their communities to serve in

6552-579: Was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer . He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh , where he was the director of the Allegheny Observatory . Langley was born in Roxbury, Boston , on August 23, 1834. Langley attended Boston Latin School and graduated from English High School of Boston , after which he became an assistant in

6636-850: Was appropriated for meteorological research. The institution became a magnet for young scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the Megatherium Club . The Smithsonian played a critical role as the US partner institution in early bilateral scientific exchanges with the Academy of Sciences of Cuba . Construction began on the Smithsonian Institution Building ("the Castle") in 1849. Designed by architect James Renwick Jr. , its interiors were completed by general contractor Gilbert Cameron. The building opened in 1855. The Smithsonian's first expansion came with

6720-438: Was enough to know that at noon the sun was at its highest elevation for the day. That changed with the arrival of railroads, which made the lack of standard time dangerous. Trains ran by a published schedule, but scheduling was chaotic. If the timepieces of an engineer and a switch operator differed by even a minute or two, trains could be on the same track at the same time and collide. Using astronomical observations obtained from

6804-559: Was established as a trust instrumentality by act of Congress. More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. The Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services oversees security at the Smithsonian facilities and enforces laws and regulations for National Capital Parks together with the United States Park Police . The president's 2011 budget proposed just under $ 800 million in support for

6888-849: Was originally organized as the United States National Museum , but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967. The Smithsonian Institution has historical holdings of over 157 million items, 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 education and research centers, a zoo, and historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in Washington, D.C. Additional facilities are located in Maryland , New York , and Virginia . More than 200 institutions and museums in 47 states , Puerto Rico , and Panama are Smithsonian Affiliates . Institution publications include Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines. Almost all of

6972-411: Was possible when he found that a 1 lb. brass plate suspended from the rotating arm by a spring, could be kept aloft by a spring tension of less than 1 oz. Langley understood that aircraft need thrust to overcome drag from forward speed, observed higher aspect ratio flat plates had higher lift and lower drag, and stated in 1902 "A plane of fixed size and weight would need less propulsive power

7056-420: Was probably the project's main contribution to aviation. The piloted machine had wire-braced tandem wings (one behind the other). It had a Pénaud tail for pitch and yaw control but no roll control, depending instead on the dihedral angle of the wings, as did the models, for maintaining roughly level flight. In contrast to the Wright brothers' design of a controllable airplane that could fly with assistance from

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